Child and Parent Mental Health Problems in Pediatric Celiac Disease: A Prospective Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Child Psychology
• Clinical Psychiatry

Background:

• Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten ingestion.
• Mental health comorbidities are increasingly recognized in chronic pediatric conditions.
• The impact of CD diagnosis and dietary management on child and parental mental health requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate mental health problem levels in children with celiac disease (CD) at diagnosis.
• To assess the mental health status of parents of children with CD.
• To compare mental health outcomes in CD patients and their families with healthy controls and evaluate the effect of a gluten-free diet (GFD).

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional and longitudinal study design comparing three groups: CD patients at diagnosis (Group A), CD patients on a GFD (Group B), and healthy controls (Group C).
• Parental completion of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) for children's mental health and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90-R) for parental mental health.
• Re-evaluation of a subset of CD patients (Group D) after at least 12 months on a GFD.

Main Results:

• Children with CD at diagnosis exhibited significantly higher scores for internalizing problems on the CBCL compared to healthy controls (P=0.007).
• Parents of children with CD showed increased severity of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, compared to parents of healthy controls (P=0.013).

Conclusions:

• Children diagnosed with celiac disease and their parents experience a higher burden of mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, relative to healthy populations.
• These findings underscore the importance of screening for and addressing mental health concerns in pediatric CD and their families.